Except When They Do
by insaneantics21
Summary: Quinn Fabray was ten years old when she met Rachel Berry. "Nobody finds their soul mate when they're ten. What's the fun in that, right?" -Sweet Home Alabama
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note #1:** It is a _very_ rare occasion when a plot smacks me so hard it literally wakes me up in the middle of the night and I absolutely have to start working on it right away. Usually I just make a mental note not to forget it and go back to sleep and write it later. Not with this one. It woke me up and I worked on it almost non-stop for three days. I took breaks to sleep every now and then (only when my eyes were burning) and I think I ate a grand total of five times. I don't mean to sound egotistical but this is probably my favorite thing I've written to date.**  
Author's Note #2:** A few ideas and some quotes were borrowed from _Sweet Home Alabama (2002)_ and _The Princess Bride (1987)_. Both excellent movies. I highly recommend them.

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I just play with them.**

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**--October 2004 – March 2005--**

Quinn Fabray was ten years old when her parents moved the family to Lima, Ohio from Denver, Colorado. The altitude change wasn't her biggest challenge, although her ears did give her trouble for a while. No, her biggest challenge was leaving behind her safe, secure, Catholic school to go to public elementary school because the Lima Catholic School was booked solid for the next two years. She was leaving behind her small group of friends, all of whom believed what she believed because duh it was Catholic school and they were good little girls.

When the guidance counselor escorted Quinn to her fifth grade class Quinn was absolutely petrified. She was the new girl who came two months after school started and everyone already had friends because they'd been together for five years already. While the teacher talked Quinn looked out at the crowd of students that were staring at her. Two girls in the back were sitting so close together that Quinn could barely see space between them. One of them was blonde and had big bright blue eyes and the other was tan with black hair and her eyes looked very angry when she glanced up at Quinn. There was a boy with a goofy grin whose desk was taller than anyone else's and even sitting he was a few inches taller than the boy next to him with the mohawk.

Before Quinn could survey anyone else in the classroom the teacher, Mrs. Jones, wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to an empty desk next to a small girl that looked more like she belonged in first grade rather than fifth. She had dark hair and wide, dark eyes and she was wearing a blue knitted sweater with gold stars all over it, a blue and black plaid skirt, blue knee socks and black loafers.

"Quinn, this is Rachel Berry," the teacher said sweetly. "She was very excited to hear we were getting a new student and she's volunteered to be your buddy while you get used to the school. If you have any questions about where things are just ask Rachel and she'll be delighted to help you."

Quinn nodded. Rachel immediately hopped up out of her seat and grabbed onto Quinn's hand and dragged her to the back of the classroom and directed her to her cubbie, her name was already on a label. She hung up her jacket and took her pencils and paper out of her backpack then stuffed the bag in with her coat. Rachel took her hand again and led her back to their desks, as if Quinn would forget where they were. She put away the books the teacher had put in a neat stack on her desk and listened as the teacher talked about nouns and verbs, things she'd already learned. She let her mind wander and she looked over the girl to her left.

Rachel was fidgeting in her seat with excitement. Her hand was the first to go up anytime the teacher asked a question and she would scribble notes furiously in her pink notebook. There was a shiny gold star at the top of the page and when Rachel turned to a new page she pulled a stack of gold star stickers out of her desk and pressed one to the corner of the page.

The class had music that day and Rachel again grabbed onto Quinn's hand when they stood to line up. She didn't let go until they'd reached the music room and Rachel had introduced Quinn to the teacher and then pulled Quinn to sit down next to her.

"Music is my favorite," Rachel stated. "I've been taking voice lessons since I could talk. I'm going to be a Broadway star when I grow up."

Rachel's voice stood out when they sang their little songs from the books the teacher passed out. While everyone else kind of mumbled, Rachel enunciated and projected while sitting straight up in her chair. The music teacher always smiled at her. Rachel's voice just sounded good. Quinn liked it. She liked it _a lot_.

Quinn sat with Rachel at lunch and the girl smiled when she pulled a note out of her lunch bag.

"My Daddy always writes me notes when he prepares my lunch."

Quinn nodded. She pulled her own lunch out of her purple lunchbox that her mother had packed that morning; a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich, a bag of assorted vegetables, an orange, a small thermos of milk, and a couple of graham crackers.

"That lunch is very healthy," Rachel noted. "Is that ham?"

Quinn nodded and took a bite.

"I've only had it once. It tasted pretty good but I'm not supposed to eat it."

Quinn cocked her head to the side and took a bite of her celery.

"I'm Jewish," Rachel said with a smile. "We're not supposed to eat pork."

Quinn's eyes went wide and she swallowed hard. She had heard her father talk about them. The Jews. She never really understood anything he said but she could tell by his tone of voice that being Jewish wasn't a good thing. She didn't know why it was bad, having spent half a day with Rachel she didn't see any difference in Rachel than any of the other kids. Rachel did like to talk a lot; maybe that was why Quinn's dad didn't like Jews, because he always liked to be the one talking and if someone else was talking he would just talk louder.

Rachel obviously hadn't noticed Quinn's expression because she was rattling on about some woman named Barbra Streisand. Quinn finished her lunch without saying a word; she realized she hadn't said a word to Rachel all day actually. Rachel didn't seem to mind because she could talk enough for the both of them. Quinn was also observing, trying to figure out what her father wouldn't like about Rachel if maybe one day she invited the energetic brunette to come over and hang out. Quinn couldn't find anything she disliked about Rachel. As a matter of fact, by the end of the day, she really liked her.

"How was school, sweetie?" Quinn's mother asked when Quinn hopped in the car after school. Quinn gave a little wave to Rachel who was still patiently waiting to get picked up.

"I made a friend," Quinn said softly. "Her name is Rachel. She talks a lot."

"You should invite her to dinner so your father and I can meet her."

Quinn nodded. "Maybe."

The next day Quinn was excited to go to school. She met Rachel outside at the drop off circle and the short girl took her hand and pulled her to the classroom. They put their things away and Quinn was again pulled by Rachel to their desks.

"You don't talk very much," Rachel said. "You didn't say anything to me yesterday. At first I thought it was because maybe you didn't like me but if you didn't like me then you wouldn't have waved at me when you left with your mom."

Quinn chewed at her lower lip and waited for Rachel to pause for more than a split second.

"I like you."

Rachel smiled brightly and bounced a few times in her seat. "Good, because I like you, too and I think we should be friends."

Quinn nodded. "I'd like that."

Quinn noticed very quickly was that one thing Rachel never mentioned was her mother. She talked about her father, interchangeably using 'Dad' and 'Daddy'.

"Where were you before you came here?" Rachel asked at lunch.

"Colorado. I went to a Catholic school."

"You're Catholic?"

Quinn nodded. Rachel's eyes went wide and she looked somewhat similar to what Quinn thought she might have looked like when Rachel said she was Jewish.

"Is that bad?" Quinn asked.

Rachel was silent for a few moments. "No, it's not bad."

"Does your dad not like Catholics?"

Rachel shook her head. Quinn smiled. Something fluttered in her stomach when Rachel was quiet and her lips were pressed together. She looked kind of…_cute_. Quinn felt her cheeks get warm and she looked down at her turkey sandwich.

Quinn dodged her mother's questions about Rachel's background. She simply stated that Rachel talked about her dad and that she liked music. When her mother asked if Rachel went to church Quinn simply shrugged.

It was Friday, Quinn had been at school for five days and she was looking forward to the weekend but at the same time, the thought of not seeing Rachel kind of made her sad. Quinn and Rachel were waiting for their rides outside and Rachel was talking about the new music she was learning from her vocal coach. Rachel's dad pulled up and the brunette turned to Quinn and bit her lower lip. Before Quinn could ask Rachel what was wrong the brunette lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Quinn's shoulders. Quinn instinctively wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist. Quinn's heart was racing and she couldn't figure out why. She'd hugged her other friends before but Rachel was different. Her small body seemed to fit with Quinn's and her nose was buried into Quinn's neck and she could feel Rachel's breath on her skin and she really, _really_ liked it. They hung on for a few seconds and when the brunette pulled away she had a shy grin on her face.

"I'll see you Monday," Rachel said quietly.

Quinn smiled wide and nodded. Rachel skipped to her car and jumped in. She waved at Quinn before her dad pulled away and Quinn just felt like twirling around in circles. So she did.

The weekend couldn't go by quick enough for Quinn. She kept herself occupied by finishing unpacking her room and arranging all of her stuffed animals and putting the rest of her clothes away. On Sunday the family went to the church her father had selected and met the clergy and the Sunday school teacher before services. Quinn went with all of the other kids to the basement for Sunday School and they lectured about being good and obeying their parents. All things Quinn knew already. After all, she had been at a Catholic school since kindergarten and they had to do an hour of Bible study every day. There were two girls there from her class, the tan one and the blonde one that always seemed to be together. Quinn gave them a polite wave and the other blonde excitedly waved back and the tan girl just glared.

The rest of Sunday, Quinn spent on homework and since she had nothing better to do after that was finished she helped her mother unpack kitchen utensils while her father was unpacking books in his study. Quinn's curiosity got the best of her while they were unpacking.

"Mom?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Is there something wrong with being Jewish?"

Her mother was silent for a few moments. "Not really, I suppose. They're not _bad_ people. Just a little different."

"Why doesn't Daddy like them?"

"What gave you that idea?"

Quinn shrugged. "I heard him say mean things."

"He was probably just upset at a bad business deal, is all. Why?"

"Rachel's Jewish. But she's not a bad person. She just likes to talk a lot but I don't mind it."

"That's perfectly alright, sweetie. Try to make other friends, too, though. I saw a couple of nice girls that looked about your age in church today. They went with you to Sunday school. Do you know them?"

Quinn nodded. "They're in my class but the one with black hair is kind of mean. She pushed a boy into a wall but I don't know why. The blonde one seems nice though. Can Rachel still come over for dinner?"

"Sure, sweetie. She can come over and stay Friday night if she likes."

Quinn smiled bright. "I'll tell her tomorrow. She doesn't eat pork."

Quinn's mother nodded and Quinn bounced up the stairs. She wanted to get a head start on picking out her Friday outfit. It had to be perfect. She eventually selected a red knee-length dress and a white sweater jacket and she would tie a red ribbon in her hair.

Quinn was met with a tight hug from Rachel when she got out of the car at school Monday morning. Quinn's mother waved to them both and Rachel's hand slipped into Quinn's when the car drove away.

"What did you do this weekend?" Rachel asked.

"Unpacked. I have a lot of stuff but my room is all done now. And I went to church on Sunday. What did you do?"

"Tap dance class and voice lessons and homework."

"Don't you go to church?"

Rachel shook her head. "Only for holidays."

After the girls put their jackets and backpacks away Rachel's hand again found Quinn's and pulled her to the desks. Quinn thought about saying something along the lines of that she knew where the desks were now and even if she didn't, there were nametags on them. But she didn't say anything. It might discourage Rachel from taking her hand and Quinn liked it when Rachel's small hand was in hers.

"Hey Shorty," Quinn heard from behind them when they sat down. She turned to see the tan girl and the blonde girl standing behind them. The tan girl had her hands on her hips and was glaring at Rachel.

"Santana," Rachel said coldly. "Hi Brittany!"

Brittany grinned. "Hi!"

"We want to talk to Quinn," Santana said. Rachel opened her mouth but Santana cut her off. "Alone."

Quinn obediently stood up from her seat and smoothed out her yellow baby doll dress. She followed Santana and Brittany to the back of the room.

"Why are you friends with her?"

Quinn furrowed her eyebrows. "Because she's nice."

"She's a freak," Santana spat. "She's not like us."

"Because she's Jewish?"

"And annoying. And…" Santana smirked. "She has two dads."

Quinn scoffed. "That's…"

Santana shrugged. "I told you, she's a freak."

Quinn looked over her shoulder at the small girl who was looking apprehensively at the trio in the back of the room. The young blonde recalled an entire Bible study session before she moved about men and women and how they were supposed to be together because they could have babies and how it was wrong to do anything else. Quinn had always gone along with what she was taught because that was what her parents and her teachers said was right. What she couldn't figure out about that particular lesson though, was that Jesus always talked about loving people so why would He ever allow for someone who loved someone else to go to Hell? It just didn't make sense in her brain. Instead of asking questions she simply nodded with the rest of the class and wrote down the answers on the review sheet that she knew the teacher would give her a high grade on.

"She's not a freak," Quinn said quietly, turning back to Santana and Brittany. "She just likes to talk a lot. And I like her."

"You're a freak, too, then. And I'm going to tell everyone."

Quinn shrugged. "Go ahead." She turned around and walked back to her desk with a smile on her face. She dropped down next to Rachel and took the girl's small hand in hers.

"What did they say about me?" Rachel asked quietly, looking down at her and Quinn's hands.

"Did they tell you I'm a freak? It's what they tell all of the new kids. It's why I don't have any friends."

"You're not a freak. And I'm your friend now and you're coming to my house on Friday for a sleepover."

Rachel's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Quinn nodded. "My mom already said it was okay."

"Did…Did Santana say anything else about me?"

Quinn nodded again. "I think having two dads would be fun," she said. "Dads are fun so you get twice the fun, right?"

Rachel smiled and threw her arms around Quinn's neck and Quinn's immediately went to Rachel's waist. Quinn felt the flutter in her heart when Rachel's nose was again nuzzled into her neck for the second time that day.

The pair spent every possible moment they could planning their sleepover. Rachel was horrified that Quinn had never heard of Barbra Streisand and promised to bring one of her movies and a CD with her so Quinn could "fully experience Ms. Streisand's magnificence". They talked on the phone every night that week and Quinn's mom talked to one of Rachel's dads, Daniel. They agreed that Rachel could come home with Quinn that Friday and Daniel would pick her up Saturday afternoon.

Quinn and Rachel were both bouncing all day Friday and time seemed to drag on forever until three o'clock when the dismissal bell finally rang. Quinn's mother was waiting when they came running out of the school, Quinn dragging Rachel this time. They hopped into the back seat of the car and Quinn's mother smiled.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Rachel," she said. "We've heard so much about you."

"It's wonderful to meet you, too, Mrs. Fabray," Rachel said politely.

The minute the car was turned off Quinn was again pulling Rachel along and through the garage door, up the stairs and into her bedroom. She took Rachel's overnight bag and dropped it at the foot of the bed.

"Wow," Rachel said, looking at the corner of the beige room that was occupied entirely with stuffed animals. "That's a lot of stuffed animals."

"I like them," Quinn said.

"Me too." Rachel looked around and Quinn watched nervously.

She didn't know if Rachel would like her room or not but Quinn liked it and it seemed as though Rachel liked whatever Quinn liked and the other way around.

"Do you like my room?"

"I do! You have a very big bed," Rachel said, gesturing to the queen sized canopy bed that was centered on the wall opposite the stuffed animals.

"It used to be my sisters but she's in college in California now so my Daddy said I could have it."

"Is your dad nice?"

Quinn shrugged. "He's nice to me. He used to take me and my sister to baseball games and he buys me lots of things. If I tell him to be nice to you then he will."

Rachel gave a weak smile and Quinn did the only thing she could think of to do to reassure Rachel and she wrapped her arms around the short girl's waist. Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck and they just stood in the embrace. Quinn's heart was racing.

"I'm glad we're friends," Quinn whispered.

"Me too," Rachel whispered back.

When the brunette pulled away she hesitated for a moment then went back in and kissed Quinn's cheek. Quinn turned bright pink and touched her fingers to the spot where Rachel's lips had connected with her skin. Rachel stood back and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. Quinn smiled.

"Do you want a snack?"

Rachel nodded. Quinn took her hand and led her down the stairs to the kitchen.

After dinner and a few wary glances from her father and polite conversation about Lima and Ohio weather, Quinn and Rachel settled themselves upstairs in Quinn's room with a giant bowl of popcorn and two bottles of Pepsi to watch the movie Rachel brought with her. The woman singing was the one Rachel kept talking about and Quinn smiled when she saw Rachel's eyes light up during one of the songs the woman sang about rain and parades. Quinn wasn't really paying much attention because at some point Rachel's hand had made its way across the small gap that separated them and her fingers had laced with Quinn's and she hadn't let go or moved at all.

When the move was finished the pair sat in silence until Quinn spoke.

"I liked the movie," she said.

Rachel beamed. "I'm glad. I usually sing along to it but I wanted you to hear Barbra."

Quinn let a small smile fall on her lips. "Will you sing for me?" she asked quietly. "I hear you sing in music class and I like it…I want you to sing for me where I can only hear you."

Rachel nodded with a huge smile. "Okay," she said softly. She bounced off the bed and rummaged around in her overnight bag. She pulled out a CD and Quinn pointed to the CD player that was next to the TV. Quinn sat up straight and watched Rachel press buttons to find the right track. The familiar music that Barbra Streisand had been singing about rain and parades echoed in Quinn's room. She paid more attention this time because it was Rachel and Rachel deserved all the attention in the world.

When Rachel finished, Quinn applauded and smiled brightly. The brunette took a bow and bounced back up on the bed. Her foot caught on the edge and she went flying forward and the next thing Quinn knew she was flat on her back and Rachel was on top of her with one arm on either side of her head and Quinn was sure her heart might burst out of her chest.

Rachel swallowed hard and she didn't smile or move or do anything. Quinn's eyes just stayed connected with Rachel's and neither one dared move until there was a knock at the bedroom door and Rachel jerked upward, sitting back on her knees. Quinn's mother entered the bedroom and smiled at the two girls. They both smiled back.

"Your father and I are going to bed," she said. "Don't stay up too late."

Both girls nodded and Quinn's mother shut the door. Quinn turned her attention back to Rachel and the brunette was looking at her wide-eyed, almost scared. She was breathing hard and her face was red and Quinn was sure, without even looking in a mirror, that she looked just the same. Rachel scrambled off the bed and went to her overnight bag. She pulled out bright pink pajamas and her toothbrush.

"Bathroom?" Rachel asked softly.

Quinn slid off the bed and reached out for Rachel to take her hand. The short girl hesitated but reached out and slipped her hand into Quinn's and the blonde led her to the bathroom that was just down the hall. Quinn quickly changed into her pajamas when she went back to her room, they were pale blue. When Rachel returned Quinn took her turn in the bathroom. She looked in the mirror to see her cheeks were still tinged pink. She brushed her teeth slowly, hoping the blush would go away. When it was mostly gone she padded her way back to her room to find Rachel in the middle of her bed scribbling away in a hard cover pink book with a hand-drawn gold star on the front.

"Do you want to watch another movie?" Quinn asked.

Rachel looked up from her book. "Sure. You pick it out, nothing scary though."

Quinn nodded and started looking through her shelf of movies trying to find one that wouldn't make her look like a total dork. Most of what she had were movies approved by the general Catholic population. She had managed to keep a few movies her sister had bought when she was in high school and left behind when she went to college. Quinn occasionally glanced over her shoulder and Rachel was still scribbling. Her eyebrows would furrow sometimes when she stopped writing. Quinn had picked up that meant Rachel was thinking really hard.

"What about _The Princess Bride_?" Quinn asked, spotting her copy.

Rachel looked up from her book again and smiled. "I like that one."

Quinn grabbed the DVD case and slipped the disc into her DVD player and pressed play. She hopped back up on the bed and patiently watched the menu screen while Rachel finished whatever she was doing. When Rachel shut the book and tucked it away in her overnight bag she crawled back up to the head of the bed and slipped underneath the blankets. Quinn got up and turned off the light then settled herself in bed next to Rachel. The small brunette scooted to the center of the bed and Quinn did the same. Rachel grabbed onto Quinn's arm and moved it around her back; Quinn took the hint and wrapped her arm around Rachel's shoulders. Rachel settled her head on Quinn's shoulder and the blonde hit 'play'.

When Quinn woke up in the morning she was on her side and Rachel was snuggled into her back and breathing heavy. Her TV was on the menu screen for _The Princess Bride_ and she vaguely remembered falling asleep somewhere around Princess Buttercup and Westley making their way through the Fire Swamp. Quinn quietly rolled over and Rachel only snuggled closer, her face pressed to Quinn's chest. The blonde was afraid she might wake Rachel up with how hard her heart was beating.

When Rachel's 'Dad' Daniel picked her up that afternoon Quinn's father invited him in and they talked business for a while. Quinn and Rachel sat at the top of the stairs and Quinn heard her father ask about Rachel's mother and all Daniel said was "she's not in the picture". Rachel's shoulders slumped and she looked down at her skirt.

"What's your other dad's name?" Quinn asked softly.

"Jason. But Dad handles everything at school and with the parents because people don't like that I have two dads."

"Can I come over to your house for a sleepover next time?"

Rachel smiled. "Yeah."

It was an unspoken yet understood fact that Quinn's parents couldn't know about Rachel's other dad. Quinn's first sleepover at Rachel's was three weeks after the sleepover at Quinn's. Daniel picked the girls up from school Friday and dropped Quinn off Saturday afternoon on the way to Rachel's dance class. The routine worked perfectly for every night Quinn spent with Rachel.

Rachel and Quinn became synonymous with each other very quickly, much like Brittany and Santana. Quinn's heart kept fluttering when Rachel would hug her and Quinn almost felt incomplete without the short brunette around. Her parents still insisted that Quinn needed to make new friends and started making her go to Wednesday night Bible study at the church. Quinn always made sure to pay attention because her father asked her every week what she learned but she didn't make many new friends. They were mostly just acquaintances that were either in different classes at her school or went to the Catholic school.

When Quinn started getting a horrible knot in her stomach every time Rachel so much as looked at her she decided it was time for some advice. When she was little she had listened to her sister and her friends giggle and squeal about cute boys and how "just looking at him makes my heart feel like it will burst out of my chest!" She figured that was her best bet for good advice.

Quinn grabbed the phone card out of her desk drawer that her sister gave her before she left for college in case Quinn needed anything and rummaged around until she found the piece of paper with her cell phone number on it. She waited until her parents went to bed before sneaking down the stairs to her father's study to use the phone. She dialed the numbers carefully and an automated voice told her she had two hours of talking time and then it rang.

"Hello?" Quinn's sister answered.

"Kerry, it's Quinn."

"Hey you! Long time no talk, how are you doin' kiddo?"

"I'm good," Quinn sighed. "How's college?"

"It's great, Q! I've got tons of new friends but I miss you like crazy!"

"I miss you, too," Quinn said softly.

"How's your new school?"

"It's pretty fun. I have a new best friend, her name's Rachel." Quinn's stomach knotted even just saying the girl's _name_.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad told me about her. It sounds like you guys are pretty close. I'm so glad it's been easy for you, Q. I was pretty worried there for a while, I gotta say. You're pretty quiet until someone breaks the shell and you really make it hard sometimes."

"Yeah."

"Is there something bothering you, baby sis?"

"Kind of."

"You want to talk about it? I've got all night, already finished my homework and everything. My roommate is out for a while. I'm all yours until the phone card runs out."

Quinn sighed. "Have you ever been in love, Ker?"

Kerry laughed. "You get yourself a little boyfriend, too?"

Quinn groaned. "I just want to know what it's like. You had a boyfriend when we lived in Colorado and you always told Melanie and Audrey how much you loved him."

"You little squirt, you were eavesdropping!"

"I'm your little sister, that's what I'm supposed to do," Quinn said with a grin.

Kerry sighed. "Okay let's see…love. Well, I did love Jonah in high school but since he went to New York and I'm in California we knew it wouldn't work out so we broke up. It was kind of like…you know how you told me when you were six and had to sing a solo in the Sunday school program that it felt like your insides were being attacked by butterflies?"

Quinn swallowed hard. "Yeah."

"It feels kind of like that. You just feel like…you feel like if you don't have them around then you're not really whole. Then when you are around them it's like your heart's going to explode right out of your chest. You just want to be around them all the time and you can see yourself with them forever, no matter what."

Quinn's mouth went dry and she nodded even though she knew her sister couldn't see her.

"You okay, Quinn?"

"Yeah."

"You're too young for all of that anyways. It's probably just a little crush. What's his name?"

"Um…" Quinn scrolled through the boys in her class to try and come up with _something_. "Finn," she blurted out. "Finn Hudson. He's really tall and kind of goofy."

"That's adorable, Q."

Quinn sighed. "I'll probably get over it. I'm not allowed to have a boyfriend anyways."

"Not until you're fifteen. Same rules with me. Make sure when you do get that age and find a boy you like that you bring him home to meet Mom and Dad first. Dad will like him better."

"Okay. Are you coming home for Christmas?"

"I think so. Dad is working on getting my plane ticket. I can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait to see you, either. I should go to bed, it's getting late and I don't want to get in trouble."

"Okay Quinn. Sweet dreams."

"You too, Ker. Thanks for everything."

"No problem squirt, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Quinn hung up the phone and sighed. It was official. What she'd suspected since the first night the short brunette spent at her house had just been confirmed. She was in love.

Quinn didn't let things change with Rachel after her realization/confirmation. It was snowing now and even though it was cold they always waited for each other in the morning and endured the cold in the afternoon to stand outside together and wait for their rides. Christmas break was great because Rachel could come to Quinn's house anytime. Quinn's parents wouldn't let her go anywhere because her sister was home but she and Rachel had fun listening to Kerry talk about her adventures in California at UCLA and spotting different celebrities around town. Rachel again stated she was going to be a star someday but it would be on Broadway. She said she would do movies, though, as long as she got to sing she didn't really care. Quinn smiled at Rachel's ambition.

Rachel snuggled down in Quinn's bed one of the nights she stayed at the Fabray house over break and Quinn hopped in after her. Both girls shared a fit of giggles at absolutely nothing before finally calming down. Quinn rolled over to face Rachel and the small brunette was smiling and her eyes were lit up. Seeing this made Quinn smile. After a few moments Rachel's smile disappeared and Quinn's heart felt sad.

"Can I tell you a secret, Quinn?"

"Yeah."

"Promise you won't tell anyone or get mad?"

"I promise."

Rachel took a deep breath. "I like you."

Quinn blinked a few times. "That's not a secret."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not. Everyone knows we're friends."

"I know they do…but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about that I _like_ you. Like Westley liked Princess Buttercup."

Before Quinn could respond something happened. Rachel was really, really close for a second and the brunette's eyes were closed and she out of nowhere just kissed her. It was quick and kind of weird and Quinn was startled and before she could respond to _that_, Rachel had rolled over and curled into a ball. Quinn blinked a few times to process what happened. When it finally hit her that Rachel had just kissed her she could do nothing but smile.

"Rachel…"

"I'm sorry," Rachel squeaked. "Go to sleep, okay?"

Quinn thought a moment before speaking again. She scooted close to Rachel and whispered in the small girl's ear. "As you wish."

Rachel gasped and Quinn snuggled into her back and fell asleep.

The routine of pick-ups and drop-offs revolving around Rachel and Quinn's sleepovers continued to run smoothly and Rachel and Quinn were closer than they thought possible. Every now and then one of them would just lean to the other and kiss her and they'd both giggle and blush and hold hands and Quinn was certain this was how she wanted to spend the rest of her life. Rachel would be a big star and Quinn would be a…Quinn wasn't sure what she'd be but she didn't really care because she would be by Rachel's side and that's all that mattered.

Things were perfect. But as the saying goes, what goes up must come down. And Quinn's world came down. Hard.

Rachel was spending the night at Quinn's house and she tripped and fell down half the flight of stairs. Rachel screeched because her wrist hurt and Quinn's mother almost fainted at the sight, it was most definitely broken. Quinn's mom called Daniel's cell phone and told him what happened and they were taking Rachel to the hospital right away. The thought that both of Rachel's dads would show up at the hospital was completely forgotten by the young girls. Quinn had her arm wrapped around Rachel's shoulder on the way to the emergency room. Rachel was attempting to be stoic, she held back her tears and just kept her jaw clenched shut.

When they got to the emergency room Rachel's dads were waiting outside and when they pulled up Jason opened the car door and Rachel reached for him, Jason picked her up Quinn's parents looked at each other curiously. They got out of the car and Quinn did, too. When Quinn's parents saw Daniel standing next to Jason and when Rachel called Jason "Daddy" Quinn could see her father turn bright red even though it was dark out and she saw her mother's jaw drop slightly.

Quinn swallowed hard. The two men looked up from Rachel at the three Fabrays and Quinn looked down at the pavement. She felt her father's strong hand squeeze her shoulder and she heard the low growl come from low in his chest that signaled he was absolutely furious. Her heart sank. She knew it was over. She glanced up at Rachel who was holding her wrist and looking down at Quinn, horrified. Rachel knew, too.

Quinn's father guided her back into the car and she was thankful that he actually didn't speak to Rachel's dads but simply got back in the car and so did her mother. The ride back to the Fabray house was silent. When they entered the house Quinn was again held on to by the shoulder and guided to the sitting room. Quinn sat on one couch and her parents sat on another across from her. Quinn looked at the floor.

"Look at me," her father growled.

Quinn looked up.

"You've been lying to us."

Quinn nodded. "I thought maybe if you saw Rachel was…"

"Quinn, I know you listened in church. What they do is wrong! They're going against God and if you think it's okay then you're going against Him, too!" he thundered.

"But they're nice…"

"Stop. You're not allowed to go to their house again and you're not allowed to talk to Rachel anymore."

"No!" Quinn shrieked and stood up. Her father stood and glared down at her. "Please, Daddy, no! Please don't!"

"My decision is final."

"No! Please…" Quinn begged. "Please don't! Rachel's my best friend!"

"Either you stay away from her voluntarily living here or we send you back to Colorado to live with your grandparents."

Quinn's mouth gaped open. Her Daddy would really send her away over all of this. Quinn dropped back to the couch. She could stay here and be pained with seeing Rachel every day but not be able to talk to her or she could run the risk of never seeing her again.

"I'll stay," Quinn whispered.

"I'm writing a letter to the school and having you transferred to a different class immediately so you're not tempted. And I will know if you talk to her and if you do then you're going back to Colorado."

Quinn nodded and let out a quiet sob.

Monday morning Quinn prayed with everything she had that Rachel would get to school after she did so she didn't have to see her at the drop-off circle. Her prayers weren't answered. Rachel was standing there with a bright pink cast on her left arm. Quinn's father parked the car and they both got out. Quinn saw Rachel's eyes light up until Quinn's father wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Rachel's smile faded and Quinn watched longingly as Rachel went in the side door while her father led her to the main doors and into the principal's office.

Quinn was moved to a classroom down the hall, her new teacher was Ms. Greene. She was allowed to go to her old classroom to clean out her desk. Her father watched from the door. Rachel didn't say anything while Quinn packed away her pencils and paper. Quinn glanced up at her father who was momentarily distracted by picking at one of his fingernails and she discreetly slipped Rachel a note.

The clock seemed to move extra slow during the morning and when lunch finally came Quinn walked obediently towards the cafeteria but jumped out of line just before she got there and ran through the halls until she got to the music room. Rachel was waiting for her. Quinn pulled her inside the empty classroom and locked the door behind them. She pulled the brunette out of sight from the door.

"We don't have much time," Quinn said. "At church I told Santana and Brittany I would sit with them today."

"What happened?" Rachel was on the verge of tears.

"I'm not allowed to talk to you anymore. My dad made the school switch me to Ms. Greene's class because she goes to our church and he knows she agrees with what they believe. He said if he finds out we're talking then he'll send me back to Colorado to live with my grandparents."

"He can't do that!"

Quinn reached out and Rachel fell into her arms and cried.

"We can still talk at school though, right? We can come here during lunch and…"

"We can't Rachel. Santana and Brittany will know something's up and Santana will tell. I'm sorry, Rachel…I'm so sorry but we can't," Quinn choked. "We can't…"

"Promise you won't forget…about us?" Rachel sniffled.

"As you wish," Quinn whispered. Rachel reached up and gave Quinn a kiss. The blonde blushed and looked out the door window before sneaking out and down to the cafeteria. She lied and told Santana and Brittany she had been in the nurse's office.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Quinn's life changed drastically after she was forced to cut Rachel loose. She, Brittany, and Santana became a powerhouse all through school up until sophomore year. Quinn knew she was being brainwashed by the other two and by her church and she let it happen. It numbed the pain when she stopped thinking for herself and let someone else do it for her. Quinn stopped purposely looking longingly at Rachel because Santana had caught her once but when her eyes did accidentally drop on the brunette she still felt the same knot in her stomach.

Quinn's life came crashing down around her a few more times before she left for college. She got pregnant. Her parents kicked her out. She went to live with Finn. Finn kicked her out when it was revealed that Puck was the father of the baby. She went to live with Kurt. She gave her baby up for adoption. Her parents took her back. She got accepted to NYU. She left Lima.

During her remaining time in Lima, Quinn's heart never stopped fluttering when Rachel would accidentally bump into her and Quinn's stomach always knotted when the brunette looked at her. She joined glee club because Rachel joined glee club and she told her parents it would ensure her more scholarships and another extra-curricular activity to add to college applications and they allowed it.

Santana and Brittany saw to it that Quinn was outright horrible to Rachel because Santana constantly threatened her that she'd tell Quinn's parents if the girl was anywhere close to friendly. So Quinn was a bitch and Rachel was sweet to her and Quinn would cry every single time Rachel did something that reminded her of that little girl she fell in love with when she was ten. But she wouldn't have changed it for the world because she saw Rachel every day and even when Rachel was dating Puck or Finn or when she was getting slushied and Quinn was forced to laugh, Quinn knew Rachel was there and that she was okay, something Quinn could never have if she had to go back to Colorado.


	2. Chapter 2

**--June 2014--**

Quinn was almost a junior at NYU and enjoying total freedom. She was free of her parents' reign and she could do what she wanted. She was an English major because she still had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She went out and drank with her friends. She got flirty with dark eyed, dark haired short girls at frat parties but never acted on it because she always ended up in the bathroom crying. It was impossible, she thought. It was completely impossible and irrational that she still even had a sliver of emotion for Rachel Berry. But she did.

Quinn never really gave fate too much deep thought. She read about it in romance novels and saw it in movies and listened to hopeless romantics talk about it in Starbucks but she didn't think about it all that often. The one fate-related idea she did avidly subscribe to was that life wasn't going to hand her anything that would make her truly happy again. The one thing that did make her feel that way had been brutally and cruelly ripped from her and when she kept getting kicked while she was down in high school she just stopped expecting things to turn out the way she wanted. She didn't hate the world or anything…she just wasn't Earth's most optimistic person. She believed that fate just didn't want her to be happy.

Then one day fate sucker punched her in the kidneys. Hard.

Her closest friend and roommate, Kate (with whom she shared a bedroom in the two-bedroom apartment with three other girls), scored tickets to some off-Broadway musical that Quinn had never heard of but it sounded entertaining so she decided to go. It was a night out, there was a wait staff at the theater and she could pass for 21 even though she was still only 20 and get drunk in case the show was horrible. She dropped into her seat at the table with a glass of champagne in hand and waited for the curtain to open. Before she saw anything she heard it. She heard _the voice_. The unforgettable voice that she'd first heard almost ten years ago. The curtain opened and the spotlight hit her. Rachel Berry was standing on the small stage belting out the opening number. Quinn tipped the champagne glass against her mouth until it was bone dry.

"Wow," Kate leaned over and whispered to her while the audience was going nuts. "She is really, _really_ good."

"You should hear her sing Streisand," Quinn blurted out.

Kate raised an eyebrow and turned her attention back to the stage.

A waiter kept bringing Quinn glasses of champagne. By the end of the first act Quinn was using every single ounce of strength she had not to start sobbing uncontrollably. By the end of the second act she really was sobbing uncontrollably and didn't even know how the play ended because she had to be dragged out by her friends.

"Quinn, what the hell is going on?" Kate hissed when they got to the lobby.

"That's her," Quinn gasped. "Rachel Berry. The Rachel Berry." She knew her friends would have no idea who she was talking about. She never told anyone about Rachel or the knots in her stomach or the feeling that her heart was going to burst through her chest. "She's supposed to be in Los Angeles. She was going to UCLA after high school. Why is she here? Oh God _why_ is she here?" Quinn felt the world start spinning and one of her other friends grabbed a chair just in time for Quinn's knees to give out.

"Quinn, what are you talking about?" her friend Maria, who had grabbed the chair, asked.

"The girl," Quinn sobbed. "The girl with the dark brown eyes that can melt your soul and the dark hair that feels like it was made by some kind of silk from the gods…the one with the voice that can make me weak at the knees…"

"Quinn…" Kate arched her eyebrow again. "You know the lead girl?"

"I'm _in love_ with the lead girl," Quinn blubbered.

"We need to get you back home," Kate said. "Come on."

"No! No, no, no!" Quinn whined. She stood up and stumbled back towards the theater door. "I need to see her."

"Quinn, you're drunk. Do you really want to see her while you're like this? The show is going to be here for another month, we'll come back some other time."

When Quinn opened her mouth to protest she had to run to find the nearest trashcan. The combination of the countless glasses of champagne plus the giant knot in her stomach took its toll.

Quinn woke up with a throbbing headache and a very, very vivid recollection of watching Rachel sing on a small stage in a dark room. There was no way it was a dream. She'd had dreams of watching Rachel on stage and this was too real, too vivid. And she had a hangover which meant the champagne was real as was the place she drank it in.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty," Kate said from the doorway. "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone dropped a cinder block on my head."

Quinn scooted over when Kate sat down on her bed. Quinn sat up a little and held onto her forehead.

"Quinn…you kind of scared me last night," Kate said. "I mean, I knew you had a tendency to lean towards the ladies and I'm all good with that but last night…Quinn…what the hell happened?"

Quinn started at the beginning. Moving to Lima. Sitting next to Rachel. Becoming friends with Rachel. Falling in love with Rachel. Rachel kissing her. Rachel's two dads. Rachel's broken wrist. Quinn's deal she made with her father. High school. Slushies. Pregnancy. Adoption.

Kate only sat with her jaw open. "You…Quinn, people don't fall in love when they're ten years old, it just doesn't happen."

"I did," Quinn whispered. "I fell in love with Rachel when I was ten years old and I've never once doubted it."

"Quinn, I'm a psych major, it…It's impossible. Children aren't capable of…"

"You think I don't know that?" Quinn hissed. "I've done the research, Kate. I've read the studies. Children that age aren't capable of the complex emotion that is romantic love because of their lack of brain development and necessary hormones that trigger it. I know! But I'm telling you right now, it's all bullshit in my case. And in Rachel's."

"Why would you be such a bitch to her in high school though?"

"If I wasn't then I would've been shipped off, I told you. I couldn't stand not seeing her every day and if I wasn't a bitch then I'd never see her again."

"Sheesh…Quinn that is some heavy stuff. Seriously. They make movies about this shit."

"Kate…Kate I need to see her. I haven't seen her in two years. I need to talk to her and tell her…Can you help me? Please, I swear I will owe you my life." Quinn started sobbing and pulled her knees close to her chest.

"Oh sweetie," Kate sighed. She scooted close and held on to the sobbing blonde. "We'll get her, okay? I'll make some calls and we'll get her."

Quinn occupied the bathroom for the next hour while Kate made phone calls. Quinn relaxed in the bathtub and just thought about what she could quite possibly say to Rachel when she saw her. Kate came bouncing into the bathroom and dropped to the floor by the bathtub.

"Great job knocking," Quinn said, pulling some bubbles close to her chest.

"I've seen you naked, Fabray. Remember when we went skinny dipping?"

"Doesn't count, I was drunk."

Kate scoffed. "Hurry up in here," she said. She stood up and smiled. "We're leaving in an hour."

Quinn's eyes widened and Kate skipped out of the bathroom. Quinn blinked a few times and pulled the plug from the drain.

Kate had an outfit laid out on Quinn's bed when she got out of the bathroom. It was a short black dress with a plunging neckline that obviously came from Kate's closet. Quinn cursed being the same size as her friend but Kate insisted on the dress with her black heels. The blonde wasn't in the mood to argue. Maria did her hair in a loose up-do with a few curls hanging out. A few people dropped by and Kate had quiet words with them and Quinn saw envelopes exchanged and just shook her head. She didn't want to know.

When the cab pulled up to the theater Kate handed Quinn a press pass on a lanyard.

"Your name is Alexa Mills. You're a student journalist for the NYU student paper and you have an appointment with Rachel in fifteen minutes," Kate said before shoving Quinn out of the cab and hopping out herself. She pulled another pass out of a large black duffel bag. "And I am your lovely photographer."

Quinn nodded and headed toward the side door. She and Kate showed their passes and were let in backstage. A young man with a headset on greeted them.

"You're here to talk to Ms. Berry?"

"Yes," Quinn said. "I'm Alexa Mills, this is my photographer…"

"Hillary Conrad," Kate said, flashing her pass.

"Wonderful. Follow me."

The young man went through the halls, up the stairs and stopped in front of a door with a large gold star on it. Quinn smiled.

"Ms. Berry is waiting for you, no photographs until she approves."

Quinn nodded and the young man headed back down the stairs.

"I can't do this, Kate." Quinn was very sure that at that moment she was having a heart attack. Her chest was in knots and she couldn't breathe. "I'm dying. I'm having a heart attack!"

"You're not having a heart attack. You're having an anxiety attack. Just breathe. Focus on something else."

Quinn looked at the door. The gold star. The small speck that was missing some glitter. The tightening in her chest eased.

"Go get her, Quinn," Kate whispered.

"This is happening really fast, Kate. I need more time to think about this." Quinn turned and started heading for the staircase.

"Oh no you don't!" Kate grabbed her wrist. "If you don't do this right now you will never do it."

Quinn swallowed hard. "Okay. Okay, you're right."

Kate stood away from the door and Quinn knocked lightly.

"Come in!" the familiar voice from the other side came.

Quinn reached forward and turned the knob. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. She was fairly certain she was going to pass out. Rachel's back was to her and she was looking into a small mirror and plucking her eyebrows. Quinn was able to get in the room and shut the door before Rachel turned around, hand extended.

"Hi, I'm Ra…" The brunette stopped. Her eyes went wide and her mouth hung open a little. Quinn saw Rachel's chest stop moving and her own stopped as well. Rachel was stunning. Even in sweatpants and an oversized UCLA sweatshirt. Despite not breathing, Quinn's heart was threatening to break through her ribcage and start bouncing around the room like a super-ball.

"Quinn…"

Quinn nodded.

"Quinn _Fabray_…"

Quinn nodded again. "Rachel," Quinn whispered. "Rachel I saw you perform last night. God, Rach…Rachel you were magnificent. I can't even begin to describe…"

"Why are you here, Quinn? I was told I was going to be seeing…"

"I have connections. I got passes. It probably wasn't entirely legal but I don't really care because I needed to see you."

"So there's no interview?"

Quinn shook her head.

"And you're risking me screaming and having you thrown in jail for stalking or harassment just so you could talk to me?"

Quinn nodded. "I would risk anything to see you," Quinn half-whispered. "If someone told me that coming in here and seeing you for five minutes meant I would get shot on my way out the door I would do it, Rachel."

Rachel blinked a few times. "You tortured me in high school…I haven't seen you in two years…why are you here?"

Quinn swallowed. A voice echoed in her head (it sounded like a cross between herself and Kate) and chanted "Do it!" over and over again. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. This could be her only chance.

"I'm here because…because I needed to see you. Because I fell in love with you when I was ten years old. Because I have been miserable since the day you broke your wrist. Because not a day has gone by in almost ten years that I haven't felt a tug at my heart that leads to you. Because you haunt my dreams every single night. Because I can't watch _Funny Girl_ or _The Princess Bride_ or listen to Barbra Streisand without sobbing because those things take me back to a time when I was truly and undeniably happy for the first and only time in my life. Rachel, I'm here because I never fell out of love with you…and I had to tell you that."

Quinn exhaled what little breath she had left and opened her eyes to let the tears stream. She jumped when there was a loud clap of thunder outside and the dressing room lights flickered. Rachel's eyes were locked on her and the brunette was now shaking.

"How…" Rachel gasped. She took a few breaths. "How could you do this to me, Quinn?!" she shrieked. "I…I have a show in two hours and you show up here and s-start doing this!"

Quinn's heart completely shattered when Rachel started to cry.

"You…tortured me!" Rachel sobbed. "You laughed at me and said horrible things to and about me…why couldn't you just have ignored me?!"

"Because I didn't have a choice! Rachel if I hadn't done what I did then I would've been shipped off back to Colorado and I could not handle that. I couldn't handle not seeing you every day!"

"You could've ignored me!" Rachel was yelling now.

"They would've known! My father was looking for _any_ sign that I was even thinking about you! Rachel I am so, so sorry for what I put you through and I was so selfish when I did it but I would have gone absolutely insane if I had to be away from you and not know if you were okay! I had to know…I had to see you."

"What about when your parents kicked you out?! Why didn't you come to me?! You could've come to me! I would have taken care of you! What about when we graduated?! Why didn't you try to find me?!"

"Because I after all I did to you…I just knew you hated me," Quinn whispered.

Rachel shook her head. She grabbed her jacket and pushed Quinn out of the way. She threw open the door and Quinn heard Kate yell. Quinn stripped off her heels and tossed them at Kate when she ran out the door and down the stairs. Quinn followed the blur that was Rachel through the wings and out one of the side doors.

"Rachel! Rachel, please!" Quinn called out to the alley. It was pouring down rain and cold and she was barefoot and barely had any clothing on but she didn't care. She went down the three steps to the alley and started running after the brunette. Her next yell was covered by a loud crack of thunder and lightning flashed dangerously close overhead.

"Rachel!" Quinn kept running. "Rachel, I love you!"

"Go away!" Rachel yelled over her shoulder.

"As you wish!" Quinn screamed over the rain. The scream echoed off the alley walls. She was certain that New Jersey had heard it. "As you wish!" she half-yelled, half-sobbed.

Rachel stopped and turned. Quinn kept running until she was a few feet away from the short brunette.

"Please," Quinn begged. "It has to be impossible for me to feel like this about you and you not feel something back." Quinn was shaking with the cold now.

"I didn't hate you," Rachel yelled over the rain. "I never hated you! How could you think that?!"

"After what I did to you…the comments, the slushies…how could you not hate me?"

"Because…" Rachel opened and closed her mouth a few times. "Because I was in love with you!"

Quinn broke down and sobbed. Rachel had said "was". She _was_ in love with her. Years ago Rachel had loved her and now…

"And now?" Quinn said barely loud enough for Rachel to hear. "What about now?"

Rachel stared up at Quinn. Before the blonde could turn and walk away in shame, Rachel's hands were on her face and she was being pulled in and then…then Rachel kissed her. And Quinn wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist and kissed her back with the passion of ten years of love and adoration and pure need. Quinn cried and sobbed into the kiss and Rachel did, too. There was a collision of tongues and Quinn took Rachel's bottom lip between her teeth and pulled before pushing her tongue back into the brunette's mouth. Her lungs were burning and her head was spinning and she was cold and hot and numb and tingly and _everything_. Quinn pulled away because she was sure she was going to pass out because of the lack of air.

"I've loved you every second of every single day since the moment I saw you," Rachel said. "Finn…Puck…I just wanted someone to love me like I knew you loved me, Quinn!"

Quinn nodded. "Me too."

"It didn't work."

"I know," Quinn said with a laugh. "It didn't work for me either. You're it for me, Rachel. You've _always_ been it for me."

"I love you, Quinn."

Quinn pulled the shorter girl in again and kissed her again and never wanted it to end but then Kate was behind her and was wrapping her in a blanket and the three girls made their way back to the stage door and Rachel told them to go up to her dressing room to get dried off. Quinn and Kate sat on the rather uncomfortable couch and waited. Rachel came in fifteen minutes later.

"We're leaving," Rachel said, drying her hair with a towel she grabbed off the makeup counter. "My understudy is coming in."

Quinn didn't argue. "Where are we going?"

"Boston, I've got a friend there that will let us crash at his place for a couple days."

Quinn furrowed her eyebrows. Kate gasped.

"Why the hell are we going to Massachusetts?" Quinn asked.

Rachel crossed the floor and knelt down in front of Quinn. "Because I lost you once and I'll be damned if I'm going to _ever_ let it happen again."

Quinn stopped breathing. "Are you suggesting…"

"More like a demand."

Quinn's mind raced. Rachel was suggesting, no, she was demanding, that they drive four hours to Boston to get married. Her only concern at that moment was that she had nothing to wear. Not that she and Rachel hadn't spoken in two years; the blanks could be filled in on the four hour drive there. She wasn't concerned that she and Kate already shared a room so if Rachel moved in with them that would be awkward. She didn't care that she didn't even know where Rachel lived now and maybe instead of Rachel moving in with her she would move in with Rachel. No. She needed a wedding outfit and she needed one _now_.

"Do it properly, then!" Kate squealed. "God, Rachel! I make deals that could get me suspended or expelled to get Quinn up here and you're just _demanding_ that you go to Boston and get hitched?! So much for me writing a screenplay about this."

Rachel blinked a few times. "You know she reminds me a lot of…"

"She's really nothing like Santana. For one, she doesn't care who I date."

"Or marry," Kate chimed in. "And I'm coming with you, you'll need witnesses. Now do it right, dammit!"

Rachel took Quinn's hands in her own and hazel eyes met dark brown.

"Quinn Fabray," Rachel sighed. "I've loved you since I was ten years old and I've never stopped and I never will. Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Quinn cried. "But…but we have to go back to my place, I need clothes!"

"Taken care of," Kate said. "What the hell else did you think was in that?" Kate pointed to the large duffel bag she had carried in with them. "Jeez, Fabray, I thought you knew me better than that. I plan for anything! If Rachel hadn't suggested driving up to Boston I sure as hell was going to!"

Rachel got up and rummaged around in the wardrobe that was against the wall.

"I have something…" Rachel pulled out a short white dress. Kate sprang up and grabbed it while Rachel started tossing comfortable clothes in a bag. Quinn caught a flash of gold and pink that Rachel dropped in with her clothes.

Kate shivered a bit and started rummaging through the black bag while Rachel finished packing her things. "All three of us need to change then we're out of here."

Quinn scrambled up off the couch. "How are we getting there?"

"I've got a car, it's in the back alley," Rachel said. "It's new; it should get us there and back with no trouble."

"I'll drive but you two have to keep it PG-13."

"_Titanic_ was PG-13." Rachel smirked.

"You know what I mean."

After everyone dried off and changed clothes they piled into Rachel's car. The ride to Boston was filled with giggles and references to the short time Quinn and Rachel spent together in the fifth grade and then again the few good times Glee club had. But mostly when they were younger. When things were innocent and drama-free until Rachel tripped down Quinn's stairs. At one point Rachel looked over and gave Quinn an innocent peck on the lips, just as they had done so many times before. Quinn slipped her hand into Rachel's. It was still a perfect fit.

Rachel talked about how she did one year at UCLA before dropping out and moving to New York City because Los Angeles just wasn't her thing. The only reason she'd gone in the first place was she'd heard of open auditions for a new movie-musical. She didn't get a callback but she'd done a few local commercials and had a couple of bit parts in some TV shows but she knew in her heart that Broadway was where she belonged. So now she was waiting tables in her spare time while doing a few off-Broadway things and waiting for her big break. She had a pretty spacious studio apartment above the restaurant she was currently working at and the owner cut her a break on rent because she always plugged the restaurant when fans would ask her where she liked to eat.

Things were quiet for a little bit about three hours into the drive and Rachel reached into her bag and pulled out a worn, pink, hardcover notebook with a hand painted gold star on the front cover that was scratched and faded. She opened it to the day she met Quinn and the blonde grinned when she looked over Rachel's curly writing.

_There's a new girl in school. Her name is Quinn and she makes my stomach feel like there are butterflies in it._

Rachel flipped to the entry she wrote the first night she spent at Quinn's.

_I kind of wanted to kiss Quinn tonight. I know I'm only ten but Grandma Berry once told me I have an old soul and I could understand and feel things that only adults were supposed to understand and feel. I think I know what she was talking about now. I love Quinn._

Quinn giggled. Rachel flipped through again to Christmas vacation.

_I told Quinn I liked her like Princess Buttercup and Westley…and then I kissed her and at first I was really scared she was going to be mad but she wasn't. She told me "as you wish" which means "I love you". I wonder when we're going to get married._

Quinn pecked Rachel on the cheek. Rachel took a deep breath and flipped through the pages again.

_My wrist hurts really bad but that's not my problem right now. Quinn told me today she's not allowed to talk to me anymore because she would have to go to Colorado if she did. It's because her dad doesn't like that I have two dads. I'm not sure I really want to do anything anymore. I just feel like laying here and crying for the rest of my life…or at least until Quinn can talk to me again._

Rachel sighed and Quinn pressed a kiss to her temple. She turned to the last page.

_I know I haven't written much for a few years. I'm sixteen now. I remember when I started this thing, it was the beginning of fifth grade. I read through it just now and…and my heart broke. There is so much in here about Quinn and the ache in my heart that longs for her has never completely diminished and reading all of this has renewed it and it hurts. It just hurts. I was so sure that someday we would grow up and get married and have kids and life would be absolutely divine. I've tried to focus my attention elsewhere, Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman…they don't love me like she did. I don't love them like I love her. Even though Quinn has been downright cruel to me over the passed few years my heart just refuses to let her go. The logical thing to do would be to find someone decent to settle for…but I won't. Logic just doesn't fit here. It never has. No one falls in love when they're ten. It just doesn't happen. Ten year olds aren't capable of it, that is what psychology and logic will tell you…but I fell in love with her and she was in love with me and I will maintain until the day I die that we are meant to be together. No matter how many slushie facials I get. I'll either marry Quinn Fabray or I'll die alone._

Rachel closed the book and tossed it to the floor. Quinn had tears streaming down her cheeks and she pulled Rachel in and kissed her. Deep.

"I love you, Rachel," Quinn whispered between kisses. "I love you so much and I am never leaving you again. Never."

Rachel nodded. "I love you, too. And I'm never letting you go."

When they got to the city Rachel directed Kate to her friend's house. He met Rachel at the door with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Finally!" he said, pulling them through the door. He grabbed onto Quinn's hand and twirled her around. "So this is the infamous Quinn Fabray! Honey, you are gorgeous! Rachel, why didn't you tell me this girl was this stunning?!"

Quinn blushed and wrapped an arm around Rachel's waist.

"I'm Brian," the young man said. "Rach and I did some work together a while back and she got drunk one night and told me all about you two. Then after that it seemed like all she did was talk about you, drunk or sober. I heard the story about her singing Ms. Streisand to you about a thousand times! God it's like a fairy tale! Or a Nicholas Sparks novel! Ugh, just so cute. I'm jealous."

"Brian, you know I love you but can you point us to a bedroom?"

"My walls are thin, keep things quiet," he giggled.

Quinn turned even redder and Rachel rolled her eyes. Rachel took Quinn's hand and Brian led them upstairs and pointed to a door. Quinn barely had time to thank the man before Rachel pulled her into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

It had to be a dream, was the first thing Quinn thought when she woke up. It was all a dream. She didn't want to open her eyes because she didn't want to admit that it was all just a dream. She just wanted to lay there and think about it. Think about dreaming of going to the theater and kissing Rachel in the rain and Rachel proposing and Kate driving them to Boston. Then…then Quinn smiled. The end of dream involved things that made her entire body tingle. Teeth and lips and touches and clothes flying and skin touching skin and moans and professions of love and passionate cries then all of it over again and again until the sun was peeking through the window.

Quinn never wanted to forget this dream. It was perfect. When a small body shifted next to her Quinn's eyes flew open and she sat up so quickly she got a head rush. It was then she realized that she was completely naked because the blankets dropped off of her and a cold air ran over her chest. She looked down and Rachel was smiling up at her.

"Rachel…You…you're really here."

Rachel nodded. "I'm here." She reached out and slid her fingers around Quinn's wrist and pulled the blonde back down.

Quinn touched her lips to the brunette's, checking to make sure she really was there.

"It wasn't a dream," Quinn whispered against Rachel's lips.

Rachel smiled. "It wasn't a dream. I'm really here. And we're getting married today."

Quinn captured Rachel's lips again and pulled the blankets up over their heads.

Quinn was startled awake again by pounding on the bedroom door and Kate's voice.

"Hey lovebirds! It's noon! Get your asses up if you want to get down to city hall and get hitched! I didn't drive four hours for you two to waste the day away in bed! You can do it all afternoon when we get back!"

Quinn giggled and Rachel kissed her neck.

"You ready, Quinn?"

Quinn nodded. "So ready."

Once up and ready to go after showers and an hour of primping and an emergency stain removal when Quinn dribbled coffee on her white blouse, they all piled into Rachel's car and Brian drove to a jewelry store and Quinn and Rachel picked out a couple of simple silver bands before they headed to city hall. Kate had called early that morning to make sure they could get a license and a judge that afternoon and at exactly four fifteen on the twentieth of June, Rachel and Quinn stood before the judge and vowed to love, honor, and cherish each other for the rest of their lives.

Rachel and Quinn climbed into the back of Rachel's car and snuggled together, fingers laced and Rachel's head on Quinn's shoulder.

"So," Rachel said. "What possessed you to change your name, Mrs. Berry?"

"I mostly wanted to piss off my parents a little more, Mrs. Berry."

"As you wish," Rachel whispered with a smile against Quinn's lips.

Quinn Berry was twenty years old when she moved in with Rachel Berry. Figuring out how to fit all of her furniture in the studio apartment wasn't her biggest challenge, although that was kind of a bitch. Her biggest challenge was convincing herself every morning that she wasn't dreaming and that her life really was this perfect.

Nobody finds their soul mate when they're ten. Except when they do.


	3. Epilogue

Oh, damn. I actually wrote and posted the epilogue on Valentine's Day over on LiveJournal and never put it up here. Sorry, guys!

* * *

**-Epilogue-**

Rachel snuggled into Quinn's side in the car on the way back from Boston the day after the wedding. The brunette nodded off for about an hour and woke up to Quinn's fingers running through her hair. The blonde was smiling down at her and Rachel buried her nose into Quinn's neck and pressed a gentle kiss to the delicate skin.

"Hey there Sleeping Beauty."

"Mmmm hey baby," Rachel mumbled. "Love you."

"Love you, too Rach."

Rachel sat up and dug her phone out of her purse. "I need to call my dads. They might want to know what happened."

"Oh this ought to be priceless," Kate said from the front seat. "Hey, Dads! Totally got hitched yesterday to that bitch that tortured me in high school!"

"Thanks for that, Kate," Quinn said.

"Put this on speaker, I've got to hear it. I'm pretty sure my mom would reach through the phone and smack the shit out of me if I did this."

"Yet you encouraged it," Rachel said. She scrolled through her contacts to find the land line number to her dads' house.

"I was living vicariously through you."

Rachel tapped the screen a few times and held the phone up. Quinn rested her head on Rachel's shoulder and grinned. It rang twice before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

Quinn recognized Daniel's voice.

"Hi Dad!" Rachel said brightly.

"Hey sweetie, how are you?"

"I'm doing great! Can you put it on speaker, I want to talk to you and Daddy both."

"Sure, give me a second."

There were a couple of clicks followed by Jason's voice.

"Hey baby girl, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's great, Daddy. I have some surprising news, though. Are you both sitting?"

"Yes…" Daniel said.

"Okay, well," Rachel took a deep breath and Quinn nodded. "I kind of got married yesterday."

There was a silence. Quinn suppressed a giggle. She knew it wasn't the right time but really, she'd just married Rachel Berry and it was very hard to contain herself.

"Rachel," Jason said, "Rachel, that's not funny."

"You remember Quinn Fabray? A couple of days ago she came to my show and after a series of rather bizarre events that she'll explain to you later her friend drove us to Boston to get married."

"Rachel, are you on drugs?" Daniel's voice was slightly panicked. "Did you drink something that someone gave you? Honey, should you call one of your friends to take you to the emergency room? No telling what you could've been…"

"Hi Daniel," Quinn said with a smile. "Hi Jason! Sorry I didn't ask for your permission first but Rachel was the one that asked me…and we kind of got caught up in getting to know each other again on the drive to Boston."

"Oh my God, you're not kidding," Daniel gasped. "You're really serious?"

"I'm sorry I didn't call you guys but like Quinn said, we were catching up on the last couple years."

"Well…I…huh," was all Jason could say.

"We'll give you the details when we come see you," Quinn said. "After I get all of my stuff moved into Rachel's place we're coming to Lima to visit."

"Well um…congratulations!" Daniel said. "I…Welcome to the family, Quinn."

"Thanks," Quinn said with a bright smile. "I took Rachel's name, by the way. Hope you don't mind."

"No…" Jason said, "No of course we don't mind. That's fantastic. It's…just very sudden."

"And very unexpected," Daniel chimed in. "But don't misinterpret or anything, we're happy for you if this is what you want."

"It's what I want," Rachel said. "I've never been surer of anything before."

Quinn smiled and pecked Rachel's cheek. "I love you," she whispered. Rachel smiled.

"I'll call you when we know when we're coming into town, okay?"

"Okay honey," Daniel said. "Love you guys!"

"Love you too!" Rachel and Quinn chimed together.

Rachel hung up the phone and Quinn smiled and attacked Rachel with her lips.

"Damn," Kate said. "I was hoping for more drama." There was no response; Kate glanced in her rear view mirror. "Hey! Hey! Knock it off back there! If you two can't keep your hands off each other I'll find some shitty motel to stop at for a few hours, okay? Jesus!"

Rachel laughed and Quinn leaned between the seats and planted a kiss on Kate's cheek. "Love ya, Kate! And uh…if you do happen to see a motel that doesn't remind you of _Psycho_, feel free to stop."

"Get back there with your wife, Fabray."

"It's not 'Fabray' anymore, remember?"

"Fine, Q-Berry. Get your ass back there and stop distracting me."

Rachel pulled Quinn back and kissed her again and the two giggled.

It had been a month since they'd been to Boston. They argued over Rachel waking up at six in the morning to exercise, they argued over which Chinese place to order take-out from, they argued over where Quinn's mass amount of stuffed animals would be put in the apartment, they argued over whole vs. skim milk. And they both loved every single moment of it. The arguments more often than not ended up in bed.

The ten hour drive from New York to Lima was surprisingly quiet. They'd asked if Kate wanted to go with them and the girl just laughed.

"You guys can barely bother to pry yourselves apart when you come over for dinner," Kate said, shaking her head. "I don't even want to know what will happen with ten hours in a car."

Quinn had called her parents the day before they left and told them she was coming. They were completely in the dark of anything going on which was how Quinn wanted it. There were a few close calls when Rachel answered Quinn's phone early one morning and when Quinn had to explain why she was moving out of her apartment building to live above a restaurant.

Lima was fairly quiet when they drove into town. They went to Rachel's first to drop off their bags and were met with hugs and flowers. They told their story from the beginning, Rachel's dads smiled and nodded when they talked about the fifth grade. They glossed over high school and skipped to the night Quinn went to the theater and the night she went back. Quinn started getting anxious and they decided it would be a good idea to talk to Quinn's parents as soon as they could.

"We'll be back for dinner," Rachel said when they started to leave. "Hopefully alive."

Quinn only smiled and pulled Rachel out to the car.

"Nervous at all, baby?" Rachel asked while on the way to the Fabray house.

"A little. I thought about it on the way here and I don't really have much to be worried about, you know? I haven't asked them for money at all so I have nothing to pay back. School is taken care of with scholarships and everything else is taken care of with my job. And I can't say I'll be too disappointed if they disown me…again. You're all I need, Rach."

Rachel took a deep breath and nodded. Quinn reached over and took a small hand into her own and brought it to her mouth and kissed the tan skin. They pulled into the Fabray's driveway and Quinn's mother poked her head out the front door and looked at them quizzically. When Rachel rounded the front of the car Quinn took her hand again and pulled her to the front door.

"Hi, Mom. You remember Rachel Berry, right?"

"I…I do…come in, both of you."

Quinn nodded and kept Rachel's hand clenched in her own as she pulled her over the threshold and into the foyer. Quinn's heart was racing and the adrenaline was coursing through her veins like a natural upper. She wondered maybe if this is how Rachel and the others felt when they took the pseudoephedrine that Terri Schuester gave them. Whatever it was, it gave her confidence she didn't know she had and she liked it.

"Russell!" Judy called out. "Russell, Quinn's here…and she's brought a friend."

Quinn's father emerged from his study with a smile that quickly faded when he saw the short brunette standing next to his daughter. Quinn's smile stayed and she let go of Rachel's hand only to wrap an arm around the shorter girl's waist. Rachel's hand immediately went to Quinn's back and held on tight.

"Quinn, what is this?"

"This is Rachel. Surely you remember her, Daddy. We were best friends when we first moved here."

Rachel blushed and mumbled.

"Speak up," Russell said. "You have something to say then say it."

Rachel looked up at him square in the eye. "What I said, Mr. Fabray, was that our relationship at the time was slightly more complex."

Quinn nodded and clutched onto Rachel a little tighter.

"You were ten," Russell scoffed. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the pair disapprovingly. "Whatever you think was complex meant nothing."

"It meant _everything_, Daddy." Quinn growled.

"You were…"

"Rachel meant everything to me!" Quinn yelled. She'd held it in for ten years and she wasn't about to let it go on any further. She balled her hand that wasn't holding Rachel's waist into a fist and swallowed hard. "She made me happy and you ripped her away from me! Everything that ever made me happy was torn away from me because of you!"

Quinn took a deep breath and her eyes darted back and forth between her parents.

"Rachel and I were so in love," Quinn lowered her voice. "I know it sounds impossible but we were so in love…and you took that away from me."

"Are," Rachel corrected her. "We are in love."

Quinn looked at Rachel and bounced a few times and her smile returned momentarily. "That, too." Her grimace returned when she faced her father again. "And you…just because you're cold and heartless doesn't mean everyone around you has to be the same. Rachel was the first person that _ever_ showed me what it was like to be loved unconditionally and you tore it away from me and I will _never_ forgive you for that. I will never forgive you for making me waste ten years I could've had with her. I love her. I've loved her for ten years and I _will_ love her for the rest of my life come hell or high water."

She took another deep breath. "And we got married," Quinn said. "Last month." She lifted up her left hand to show them the silver band resting on her ring finger.

Russell's jaw dropped. Judy blinked.

"We went to Boston and…"

Quinn was cut off by a sharp pain on her cheek and a shriek from Rachel who jumped back and covered her mouth with her hands. Quinn turned her head back to look up at her father. He was purple and his eyes were narrowed so much that Quinn wasn't sure he could see. She reached up to touch the warm skin on her face and winced a little at the soreness.

"How dare you?" he growled. "First you defile this family by getting knocked up and now…now you tell us that you're a raging dyke?"

Quinn's adrenaline rush faded. Her confidence shrank down back to that ten year old little girl that she was when her father first told her she was forbidden to see Rachel anymore.

"I…I…"

"You're getting it annulled," he thundered. "Wherever you had it done, you're going back there and having this abomination annulled and you're moving back here and going to OSU!"

Quinn looked over at Rachel who looked positively horrified.

"Russell, I think we need to sit down and talk about this," Judy said.

"No!" he yelled. He started pacing the floor in the foyer. "I will not allow her to disgrace this family again! I won't have it! How could this happen? Kerry turned out perfect! Quinn was well on her way to perfect until…" Russell stopped. He turned on his heel and looked down at Rachel. "You," he growled. "She was fine until she met _you_."

Rachel blinked a few times. "All I ever did was love her."

Russell raised his hand and Rachel flinched and shut her eyes tight. Quinn's eyes widened and she lunged forward and grabbed her father's wrist.

"Daddy," Quinn said, low and with a growl. "You can raise your hand at me all you want and I'll take it but don't you _ever_ think about touching her. She never did anything wrong. I fell in love with her, too. You can either accept that I'm an adult and I will do what I want to do," Quinn released him, "or I will walk through that door," she pointed to the front doors, "and I won't ever come back."

Russell dropped his hand to his side and glanced back and forth between Quinn and Rachel. Quinn wrapped her arm around Rachel's waist again and pulled her in close. She leaned down and pressed her lips to Rachel's temple.

"Russell, it's not that big of a deal," Judy tried to reason. "They're in love…don't you remember…"

"Stop talking."

"Russ, honey, Rachel is a nice girl and Quinn's happy."

"Judy, if you are going to condone this then you can leave with them."

Quinn blinked a few times. "So I'm leaving and not coming back?"

"Get out of my house you filthy whore," Russell growled at Quinn. "You and that disgusting abomination of a human."

"Don't _ever_ speak about her like that," Quinn growled. She let go of Rachel again to step in front of her. "Rachel is a fantastic human being and I love her whether you like it or not. She is my wife and you _will_ treat her with respect."

"Get out of my house."

Quinn nodded and turned back to Rachel. "Come on, babe."

Rachel took a deep breath and stepped around Quinn to walk up to Russell.

"I know it doesn't matter to you," Rachel said softly, "but I want you to know that I'm going to take care of her. I won't hurt her and I'll do anything and everything I can to make sure she gets everything I know she deserves."

"Out."

Rachel nodded and walked back to Quinn.

"Girls, wait," Judy said. "I want to meet Rachel's fathers, properly."

"Judy, I meant what I said. If you condone this…"

"Fine," Judy said to her husband. She turned back to Rachel and Quinn. "I'll need to pack my things and find a hotel but I'll call you, Quinnie, when I'm settled."

"You're welcome to come for dinner," Rachel said. "We're having roasted chicken."

"I'd love to, thank you."

"Judy if you walk out that door I'll…"

"You'll what, Russ? Divorce me? Isn't that considered a sin, too? What would your friends say? I'll let you think about that while I'm at the hotel."

Quinn and Rachel left and drove back to Rachel's house in silence. When they got inside there was still silence. They dropped to the sofa and Daniel and Jason each took a recliner. Quinn stared at the wall at Rachel's fifth grade picture that was hanging above the TV.

"So…my mother is coming over for dinner," Quinn said after a few minutes of silence. "She…kind of walked out on my father."

"Oh my," Jason said. "Are you alright, Quinn?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Quinn's gaze fell on Rachel. "She did it for me. For us." Quinn squeezed Rachel's hand. "I'm just trying to process all of it right now."

Daniel nodded. "We understand sweetie. It's a lot to take in."

Quinn just nodded and threw hear head back on the couch. Daniel and Jason went to the kitchen to finish dinner and Rachel snuggled into Quinn's side and kissed the blonde's neck.

"I'm so sorry, baby," Rachel whispered. "I definitely did not see that one coming."

"I'm just as shocked as you are."

At six-thirty Quinn's phone rang and she gave her mother directions to Rachel's house. Judy was at the door with a smile and bottle of wine a few minutes later. Daniel and Jason greeted her and she thanked them profusely for allowing her the pleasure of having dinner with them.

"You have a very lovely home," Judy said at dinner. "And this chicken is fantastic!"

"My mother's recipe," Daniel said. "She was an amazing cook."

Silence, save for the clanking of forks hitting plates, lingered in the air for a few minutes. Quinn finally took a deep breath and set her fork down.

"Did…did he say anything else after we left?" Quinn asked.

Judy sighed. "Not really. He locked himself in his study and so I just left with enough things to live for about a week and if it goes longer, I'll go back and get more. I told him before I left that he could either get over this and accept it or the arrangement would become permanent."

"Mom you can't leave him over this. It's just how he is."

"It's not just this, honey. The way he treated you when you got pregnant… that was horrible and I should never have allowed it. He's not the man I married. I married a very loving, caring man and the obsession with appearances happened slowly and I got drawn into it. When he hit you and threatened Rachel like that though…"

Both Daniel and Jason's forks landed on their plates with a clatter.

"He hit you?" Jason asked with a growl. "And he threatened Rachel! That son of a…"

"Jason, it's okay," Quinn said. "I took care of it."

"It really is fine, Daddy. Quinn defended me."

"That still doesn't mean I can't go over there and give him a piece of my mind. You may be married but you're my baby girl and I have a duty to confront anyone that thinks about hurting you."

"Actually, Daddy, I think that duty was passed on when we said 'I do'. And Quinn did an excellent job of it."

Jason just grumbled and went back to picking at his chicken. "Don't get me wrong, Quinn, I love you and I'm very glad to have you as a daughter-in-law but it will take a bit of getting used to…Rachel being married."

"Don't worry," Quinn said. "I'm still kind of getting used to it myself."

Judy left after dessert and again profusely thanked Rachel's dads for having her and she promised they'd all get together again before the girls left. Rachel and Quinn snuggled up on the couch for a movie in the living room with Rachel's dads and then adjourned to bed in Rachel's old room. Quinn hadn't really looked at it when they dropped their bags there earlier but now she looked around and smiled. It was exactly as she remembered it.

"You know, for someone who can't stand a little change like redecorating your room you sure are spontaneous," Quinn said with a smile. "You won't change your childhood bedroom but you'll marry someone at the drop of a hat."

Rachel shrugged. "I thought about it a few times but everything I looked at reminded me of something involving us."

"Well," Quinn said, sauntering over to the smiling brunette, "What do you say we make a few new memories…" she kissed Rachel's neck. "On the bed." Another kiss. "Or on the floor." A nip at the earlobe. "Or against the wall." A lick at Rachel's collarbone.

Rachel moaned. "Bed…When we were in high school I always had this fantasy of you just coming into my room in the middle of the night and…"

Quinn didn't wait for her to finish the sentence.

The next morning the pair was up early to the smell of French toast coming from the kitchen. Daniel and Jason greeted them with smiles.

"Sleep well?" Daniel asked.

"Oh you have no idea," Quinn said with a smirk. Rachel elbowed her and Quinn laughed. "Coffee, babe?"

"Please." Rachel sat down at the kitchen table and picked up the newspaper.

"Splash of cream, two spoonfuls of sugar."

"Mmhmm. Thanks, love."

Jason shook his head and chuckled.

"What?" Rachel asked curiously, eyebrow arched.

"It took your dad three years to get my coffee order right."

Rachel smiled. Quinn dropped down next to Rachel, two cups of coffee in hand and pecked the brunette on the cheek. Rachel smiled and took her cup. She sampled it and let out a sigh.

"Perfect, as always."

"Just like you." Quinn tucked a few loose strands of Rachel's hair back behind her ear.

"You're so cheesy."

"But you love it."

"I love _you_."

Quinn giggled and kissed her wife. Jason cleared his throat and chucked again.

"You two…I swear. You're the definition of 'meant to be'."

Quinn blushed.

Later that afternoon Quinn and Rachel went to the hotel where Quinn's mother was staying to check on her. Judy hadn't heard anything from Russell but she said she was doing just fine and thinking about looking for a job to fill her time with whether she went back to her husband or not. Quinn hugged her and said she was proud of her mother for being such a strong woman and she cried when Judy said her strength was inspired from Quinn.

Judy joined the Berrys for dinner again that night, Chinese take-out. She sat with Quinn in the study while Quinn made the phone call to her sister to tell her about the marriage. Surprisingly, Kerry was more receptive to the idea than either woman thought she'd be.

"So you're really okay with this, Kerry?"

"Q, you're my baby sister. Just because I've done everything Dad ever expected of me doesn't mean I'm going to think like him, too. I've done all of it and I am truly happy with where my life is and you should be, too. If you're honestly happy then that's all that matters."

"I am happy, Ker. I've never been anywhere close to this happy before."

"You have to bring her out here to Sacramento so I can meet her again, okay? We'll go down to San Francisco and I'll get an 'I love my gay sister' bumper sticker or something. And you've got to see how big Elijah and Emily have gotten since you saw them last, it's amazing. I'll get them 'I love my gay aunt' shirts."

Quinn laughed. "I promise, the first chance we get we'll come visit."

"Awesome, tell Mom I say hi and to hang in there and she knows she's welcome to come out here anytime, okay?"

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too, sis."

Quinn and Rachel returned to the city a week later. Quinn's mother was still in the hotel and looking for apartments. She called them just after Quinn started school again to tell her that she'd served Russell with divorce papers and was thinking about moving out to Sacramento to be close to Kerry and her husband and kids. Quinn helped her move over winter break and she and Rachel went with her to California to help her mother get settled and to see her niece and nephew.

Quinn and Rachel babysat the twins while Kerry and her husband took Judy out apartment hunting and Quinn couldn't remember a time when she'd felt so at home and perfect.

"We'll have some someday, right?" she whispered to Rachel after they put the kids down for their nap.

"Of course we will," Rachel said. "Not for a while, of course. You need to finish school and we'll need to find a bigger place and…"

Quinn shushed her with a kiss. "A simple 'yes' would've sufficed," she said with a smile.

"She hasn't changed hardly at all from what I remember of her," Kerry said that night while Rachel was showering. "She still talks too much sometimes but other than that, she's still really cool."

"She is pretty spectacular."

"I see the way she looks at you and it's just incredible. It's hard to believe that even when you were a kid you knew."

"You know she was the one I was talking about when I called you that night? Remember?"

Kerry chuckled. "I do remember. I didn't put the pieces together right away but after you called me this summer it all kind of clicked. I'm so happy for you, Q. I really, really am."

"Thanks, Ker. I'm pretty happy for me, too," Quinn said with a smile.

Rachel and Quinn returned back to New York just in time for New Year's Eve and they spent it in a packed Times Square and kissed when the ball dropped. They got a few catcalls and some glares but they didn't care. They were lost in each other and that was all either of them cared about.

Quinn's parents' divorce was official the next spring and every time Quinn or Rachel talked to Kerry it seemed like Judy was happier. She'd moved into her own place and had a job managing a high-end clothing store. Quinn hadn't heard from her father at all and the times she and Rachel spent in Lima she didn't bother going to his house. They saw him in restaurant a while they were there once and he only shook his head and glared. She knew she'd never win him over but she was okay with that. She had two dads in Daniel and Jason and they were more her fathers than her own had ever been.

"What were you doing a year ago tonight?" Rachel asked two nights before their one year-anniversary. They were cuddled in bed and sweating and both had satisfied smiles on their faces.

"Puking my guts up in a trashcan in the lobby of the theater you were performing in."

Rachel giggled and pressed a kiss to Quinn's sternum. "You're amazing even when you're slightly disgusting."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I wish I didn't have to work the next couple of nights," Rachel sighed.

"We'll have all day before you have to work, though."

"I don't want to waste a minute of it."

"I don't plan on it."

Quinn rolled over on top of her wife and smiled.

"I love you Mrs. Berry," the blonde said before pressing her lips to Rachel's.

"I love you too, Mrs. Berry," Rachel said with a wink.

Quinn giggled and ducked underneath the covers.

They still argued about stuffed animals and take-out and Rachel's ungodly waking hours and milk but they both agreed that they would never want it any other way.


End file.
